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I’ve always believed in the family dinner. Taking time from the week to bring everyone together and just be together. Our lives are too full these days and we have become a self-society. When you have children your focus changes, or should change.

Ever since life dealt us a hard hand and we became 3 from 4, dinner and food has been a binder for us. Sharing and talking or even just being together in the same room has bound us through difficult times. This effort has even spread to friend, boyfriends, girlfriends, and new partners. Funny how a simple basic need imparts love when you take time to put your heart into it.

As I stated before, soup is one of my favourite meals to put together on the #BGE. Roasting off vegetables in the oven imparts more flavor, but roasting outside over some sweet wood takes it up to a new level. Smoke is like a kiss from the gods.

This time it was Corn and Sweet Potato, roasted of course. Pulling back the husk of the corn but leaving the husk intact and then pulling all the silk out, as best you can. After that push the husk back into place and soak in water for at least an hour. The water soaked husk will create steam and hold back the leaves from burning right away. Oh they will burn just not as fast.

While the corn is soaking, prepare your stock. If you have bones in your freezer and make your own great, if you’re using a store bought stock, that’s ok too but add your own twist to it. Some bay leaves, garlic, whatever will make it your own.

When your grill is ready put on your sweet potato. I half mine and rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When its 50% there, I start my corn. Husks intact and laying over the coals. I keep turning until the kernels are golden. You won’t get all the husk covering the corn so you can peak and watch.

Take the roasted corn from the grill along with your sweet potato and let cool till you can handle it. Remove all the corn from the cob and place half in your stock along with the scooped out sweet potato. Keep the other half aside. Don’t forget to put the stripped cobs in the stock too.

After 20 minutes of the warm sweet stock cooking, take it off, take out the cobs, and blend till smooth in a blender or food processor. If you want a very smooth soup, pour through a strainer and work it through with the back of a ladle. If you like a little more substance to your soup, skip the strainer.

At this point add the reserved corn to your soup and return to the heat for a few minutes. The corn was already roasted so all you’re doing is heating it up.

A little cream or sour cream to the bowl and garnish however you like. A little red pepper flakes make it happy, happy, happy!

Soup is like a warm loving blanket and a great conversation starter at dinner time. Make some bread too. It’s not that hard.

I’ve been working on old school meals. Today was Blood Cake, or if your Scottish, Black Pudding! The hardest thing is trying to get your hands on blood.

Picture this, you’re in a butcher shop, there’s a crowd around you and you ask the butcher if he has any pigs blood. Looks of shook, despair, and wonderment abound. You know they’re thinking weirdo, some kind of ritualistic thing, and maybe we should call the cops.

I found Mathew at The Butchers Son was happy to oblige. I did get asked what I was going to do with it though.

This was my first crack at it and I’m fairly impressed. I channeled my Fergus Henderson chi to pull it off.

Working with blood is different, to say the least. Blood on my hands, blood on the floor, and my knives looked like they belonged in a CSI investigation. But the results were worth it.

This took me back to breakfast in Inverness at the bed and breakfast I stayed in. Very happy.

As you can see none of this was done on my grill or smoker but sometimes the heart wins from the want.

“If you’ll be my Dixie Chicken, I’ll be your Tennessee Lamb, And we can walk together down in Dixieland Down in Dixieland”. This is one of my favourite Little Feat songs. I didn’t do southern chicken, I did stuffed chicken legs!

I’ve been working on my butchering skills and have only seen this preparation a few times, so I thought, why not?

I had a house full of trolls and a whack of chicken legs. My usual got to is to wrap in bacon and smoke over hickory. Tonight I wanted to try something different. My attack plan was simple, if I can get the first leg deboned, I can do it! Honestly, it was simpler than I thought. Creating these little poultry packs of heaven is something I will definitely go back to.

The fridge and the pantry had genoa, bocconcini, chèvre, tomatoes, and spaghettini. So let’s go Italian!

I blended the chèvre into a paste with garlic, red onion, and Italian seasoning. I placed a dollop of paste on a slice of genoa with a whole basil leaf and a slice of bocconcini. Rolled into a little cigar and then inserted it into the drumstick sealing the end with a toothpick. The outside was rubbed with olive oil and Italian seasoning. The little morsels of love were grilled on the cast iron until they were browned.

The meal was served with a tomato, red wine sauce tossed into the spaghettini.

Being able to take a bite without the bone there is a great experience. I’m thinking a bacon and cheddar stuffing next time!

Did some interesting things this past weekend, so it’s time to share! Steak yes but grilled oysters too!

Saturday night the trolls were out. My lady and I decided to spurge. I have long wanted to grill oysters on my #biggreenegg and this was the night. Not having time to take advantage of #StLawrencemarket, we took advantage of the seafood bar at Loblaws. Not the greatest selection in the world I must say. I don’t think shellfish is their highest priority but since we were grilling them we took the plunge on 6 after pointing out the cracked and opened ones to the fish lady. I made a #Guinnessrarebit sauce to meld with the fishy wonders. Guinness, cheddar, Dijon, and a little Worcestershire’s combined with a roux to thicken. Vicky shucked and I coated and then introduced them to the #BGE. A little Irish on the tongue!

We accompanied the #Hors D’Oeuvre, well actually we served it with the main of grilled steak, mushrooms and a warm beet salad. The salad included the beet tops and stems, pecans, and #chèvre dressed in tarragon Dijon vinaigrette. Check the shot! There was a food coma shortly after the meal. No trolls means happy chefs!

I definitely will be introducing Guinness into more meals but it’s hard sharing the bottle. It’s so nice straight out of the glass!

So thinking outside the kitchen, and in turn sacrificing one of my indoor cast iron pots I decided to make #beefstew on my #BGE #BigGreenEgg. Incorporating smoke with the flavor of the beef and sauce was one of the best things I’ve ever attempted.

I marinated the beef in beer with fresh rosemary overnight. Patted dry, floured, seasoned, and seared in my cast iron over the fire with hickory smoking away below. Since I was using the Egg, I left the lid off the pot because closing the lid on the Egg had the same effect and allowed the smoke to permeate the flavor. I removed the beef and sautéed the onions in the juices from the beef and then reunited them with more beer and some beef stock. At the halfway mark I joined the union of flavours with peas, potatoes, and carrots. When we were about 15 minutes away from completion, I add my dumplings to cook in the broth.

The comments from the trolls that live with me? This is the best stew we’ve ever had. I have to say I’m really proud of this one. The hickory smoke add to the overall experience of the stew and mixed with the rosemary background in the meat gave it another dimension.

My pot will survive and is now destined for use on the #BGE all the time.

So you sit and wait, and wait, and wait. No matter how much of yourself you put into something and take a personal stake in it, it seems you always end up waiting for others to act. There seems to be this pause in the universe that puts a hold on things and makes you ponder your actions. What’s it for? Why can’t we just get on with things? What’s the hold up?

The rain in Toronto put a damper on my efforts to do a Lobster Mac on the grill. A little rain doesn’t usually hamper me but that was ridiculous. We’re still drying out! Needless to say the Mac went in the oven against my better judgment.

So I realize that I’ve been slow to post but once again life threw a wrench in my direction. No complaints just waiting for stuff to happen.

I’m still working on the presentation for Masterchef Canada? I have an idea and am working on a plan. The biggest question? Do I wear my kilt? Do I go for the spectacle? It’s 30 days till the audition and I’m in 2nd gear. 3rd and 4th gear are in hand but still to come.

The backyard has had a few meals go through it. Here are a few images of what’s happened on my deck.

Be well and eat well!

Scott

Wet time, Summer in the City. My backyard grills get wet…. well wetter!

Trying to get through that bottle of Maple flavoured Rye!

Took it inside. I don’t mind a little rain, but I look bad when I’m drenched! Really bad!